Cherry Blossoms
by G.Storm59
Summary: G meant to confess to Ugetsu. He really did. But now that his chance has come and gone and Ugetsu is no longer in Italy, G has to find a way to live without him. But even with the help of his family, will G be able to get past his depression?
1. Departure

"I'm going to Japan."

I almost dropped my wine glass at the shock from Ugetsu's statement. I hoped I'd misheard.

"What?" I croaked. Giotto stared at me, slightly concerned, as if he knew what was going through my head. Hell, he probably did.

"I've decided to go to Japan," Ugetsu repeated, crossing his arms. His usual white robes completely covered any sign that his hands even existed.

"Well, you'd blend in with that stupid hat of yours," I tried to joke, hiding my disappointment and on-coming depression. Ugetsu laughed.

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that."

"You've always been interested in Japanese culture, right?" Giotto finally spoke up. "I think it's a good idea. You should go."

"Thanks, Giotto." Ugetsu nodded as if he'd been waiting for Giotto's permission. He stood up and left the room to go pack.

Once he was out of earshot, my hand finally lost its strength and the empty wine glass clattered to the floor.

* * *

><p>Giotto and I were the ones who decided to go see Ugetsu off.<p>

Once he'd said his goodbyes to Lampo and Knuckle (Alaude and Daemon were impossible to find as always), Ugetsu, Giotto, and I all climbed into Giotto's van. I sat in the second row, letting Ugetsu sit by his friend for the last time. I stared out the window and tried to keep my tears from falling. No one said anything as we drove to the airport.

"We'll keep in touch," Ugetsu promised as he picked up his luggage. He seemed to be talking to me specifically, but I was probably just exaggerating things. I stared at his hat and wondered if it would make it through security.

"See you, Ugetsu," Giotto smiled slightly as Ugetsu walked towards the door, crossing the road. It was now or never.

"Ugetsu!" I screamed. "I-!"

_-love you. _The words died in my throat as he turned around to stare at me.

"I-I'll beat you in a fight when we see each other again!" I yelled instead.

I could hear Ugetsu's laugh all the way across the road.

"I'm looking forward to it, G!"

I waved as I watched Ugetsu get his luggage checked and head for security through the door.

"You didn't tell him," Giotto commented once I'd stopped waving and hesitantly put my arm down. I gave a shaky laugh.

"He probably wouldn't want to know," I replied.

"Maybe he wanted to stay with you."

I snorted, trying to hide a sob that almost escaped my throat, as we walked back to the van.

"Then he wouldn't be going to Japan, would he?"

* * *

><p>On the drive back to the little shack we shared with the rest of the family, I tried to compose myself. I didn't want to worry Lampo, who was like a little bro to me and, if I started acting depressed, Knuckle would probably start spouting random crap from his bible. I didn't have to worry about Alaude and Daemon (since they wouldn't be around in the first place) or Giotto (since he already knew), but I had to put on my best G-behavior for the rest of the family.<p>

Giotto snuck glances at me when the road was clear enough to take his eyes from it. Suddenly the car braked and I slammed against my seatbelt. We'd almost crashed into the car in front of us.

"Keep your eyes on the damn road!" I shouted.

"Sorry, sorry. Guess you'll be okay for now, huh G?" Giotto laughed. I shook my head.

"You're going to kill us all one of these days," I smirked, not answering his question.

Lampo was waiting for us when we walked through the door. Giotto walked into the kitchen as I leaned down slightly (the damn kid was two years younger than the rest of us and he was _still_ almost as tall as me!) to listen as he whispered in my ear.

"I watched five episodes of the Simpsons while you were gone!"

I chuckled. I had gotten Lampo addicted to Adult Swim a few years ago when I had been watching King of the Hill. However, Giotto always hated it when Lampo watched that kind of thing so we watched it behind his back. Giotto had caught us once and started scolding me about being a "bad influence".

"I hope you hid it well," I murmured. Giotto had upped the security since then.

"I hid it under your mattress!" Lampo smirked. I swear this kid got some of his trollness from me.

"Gee, thanks. Now I get to look forward to sleeping on a DVD," I snorted.

We moved to the couch and I sat in between Lampo and Knuckle as I switched on the TV. Knuckle had his nose stuck in his precious bible (I swear I've never seen that guy reading anything else) as I turned the channel to football. Or soccer, as you Americans call it.

"Ooh, the World Cup!" Lampo exclaimed. That got Knuckle to put his bible down.

Watching the World Cup was a family event that everyone liked to do. It was a rare time when the seven of us actually connected. Alaude was probably watching it on his personal TV and Daemon was probably at the game itself and we'd see him doing some weirdo dance or cheer in the stands. That guy always teleported to the country the World Cup was playing at to watch the game. Always did like seeing himself on TV.

During breaks from his cooking Giotto would come watch it, too. And while he was cooking, he'd ask one of us for the score.

I wondered if Ugetsu would be watching the World Cup in Japan and if he'd still be rooting for Italy. The thought of Ugetsu almost destroyed my composure.

Before a sob could escape from my throat, I rebuilt my wall and focused on the game in front of me.

* * *

><p>"No! What the hell was that?" I shouted as Argentina shot the ball past our magnificent Italian defense. Lampo groaned and Knuckle whispered something like, "Extremely not cool."<p>

"Watch your language, G," Knuckle scolded me. I snorted.

"I can swear all I want. I'm already going to hell," I replied.

"Lord God, please forgive his sins," Knuckle murmured, clasping his hands together and closing his eyes.

"Dinner's ready!" Giotto shouted. I reluctantly turned off the television. Even if it was for watching the World Cup, Giotto wouldn't let us eat in front of the TV.

My stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I'd forgotten to eat lunch as we waited for Knuckle to finish his prayers. Personally, I'd just start eating but Giotto says we should respect Knuckle's beliefs. No one goes against Giotto.

When Ugetsu was here, he'd even start praying with Knuckle. I never found out if he actually believed in God or if he was just being nice to Knuckle. Now that I thought about it, there were a lot of things that I didn't know about Ugetsu…

I mentally slapped myself. Stop thinking about Ugetsu.

"We thank You, Lord God, for putting food on our plates. Amen."

We all murmured "amen" and dug in.

I was expecting to hear, "Good as always, Giotto," before I remembered that Ugetsu wasn't at the table. Before my wall could fall down, I said it instead.

"Thank you, G." Giotto sent me a knowing smile and glanced at the place Ugetsu usually occupied.

I tried not to follow his gaze since I'd been staring at that spot for far too long already.

**(A/N) Because Adult Swim and the World Cup totally aired in the time of the Primo XD This fanfic was born on all of the inside jokes that me and my friends have about the Primo :) Anyway, that's it for the first chapter! I apologize for uploading so late; school takes up so much time! Don't tell anyone that there's a poster I still need to get done! :D Anyway, this is planned to be my longest so far and updates will be widely spaced (school again). Oh and I apologize if I got any of the prayers wrong. I'm not Catholic (I think that's Knuckle's religion) so I'm sorry if that was incorrect. Also, I know Ugetsu was probably born in Japan but I personally think that he was Japanese decent but was born and raised in Italy. Then he went to Japan for a while. Besides, Ugetsu needed to be gone for the plot of the story! :P Oh and the Primo are around twenty in this fanfic. That's why G can drink his wine XD **


	2. Depression

It's been three months since Ugetsu left for Japan. He hasn't contacted us once.

Since then my wall's been slowly crumbling and I used so much of my strength keeping it intact that I rarely did anything else. I no longer had the strength to care if Lampo was noticing my strange silences or if Knuckle was sending me concerned glances.

One day, I just snapped.

I set a framed picture of Ugetsu (that no one besides Giotto knew I had) against the wall and started thrashing. My rage and depression fueled my limbs since they didn't have much strength otherwise. I'd slowly stopped eating.

"'We'll keep in touch' my ass!" I shouted as I continued kicking and punching. "It's been three months, you bastard!"

After a while, I collapsed onto the floor and dragged my knees up to my chin. I rested my exhausted arms on them and cried.

I sensed, rather than saw since my head was buried in my arms, Giotto come into the room. He squatted next to me and hesitantly laid a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, G," he sighed, obviously noting what I'd already seen when I'd collapsed.

The area of wall around the photo was completely destroyed (I was lucky it didn't go all the way through to the outside) but the picture didn't have a scratch.

"I couldn't do it," I sobbed. "That bastard."

"G?" I heard Lampo's concerned voice as he walked into the room with Knuckle. Giotto quickly turned Ugetsu's picture face-down and a small part of me thanked him for respecting my privacy.

"We got a letter from Ugetsu," Knuckle said, holding up a small white envelope. My head shot up. I didn't care that tear streaks were still running down my face.

"Who's it addressed to?" I demanded. Knuckle looked surprised at the question.

"Giotto."

A sob did rack my body this time as I kicked Lampo, Knuckle, and Giotto (which surprised everyone since no one ever physically assaulted Giotto) out of my room. I slammed the door in their faces and collapsed onto my bed.

I didn't care if they could hear me crying into my pillow.

* * *

><p>"Giotto, what's wrong with G?" Lampo asked, finally breaking the shocked silence after G had slammed the door in their faces. Lampo couldn't understand what was happening. G had always been a fun loving person who loved to troll and it scared Lampo to see him so… broken. What had happened to make G be like this? Lampo felt a lump in his throat as he heard G crying behind the door.<p>

Giotto just shook his head and took Ugetsu's letter from Knuckle to read privately in his study. He left Knuckle and Lampo in the hallway in front of G's bedroom.

"God only knows," Knuckle said in response to Lampo's question. The two left G to the privacy of his room.

* * *

><p>Giotto sat at his desk and carefully opened Ugetsu's letter. He knew he should be comforting G somehow, but he thought what G needed most at the moment was privacy. Besides, maybe something in Ugetsu's letter could be used to cheer up G.<p>

He pulled out the letter and started to read Ugetsu's messy handwriting.

_Giotto,_

_Sorry it took so long for me to write! I thought it'd be easier to write when I settled down so you could respond to the letter. I've started a dojo to teach Japanese kids how to use the one and three sword technique I developed. After learning the basics of course! Japanese culture is very interesting. I'm sort of struggling with the language (though my three years of studying it has been helping a lot), but luckily there's a man who knows Italian and is helping me out! He can also play the flute so sometimes we play duets together._

_How are all of you doing? I hope you guys aren't missing me too much! Did you meet and more crazy guys like that guy at the football game? Speaking of football, I sadly missed the World Cup and was wondering if you could tell me the scores for Italy and Japan and who won? Miss you all!_

_-Ugetsu Asari __朝里 雨月 __(Doesn't my name look cool in Japanese?)_

_P.S. Would you tell G that I _**(A/N In the original script, the P.S. is crossed out)**

Giotto read the letter twice, his eyes straying to the scratched out bit. He thought that G would very much like to know what it was Ugetsu had been going to say.

He stood up to go ask his family if there was anything they wanted to say to Ugetsu.

* * *

><p>A knock on the door interrupted the suffocating after-cry silence. I lifted my head as Giotto walked into the room.<p>

"Did he mention me in his letter?" I asked, my voice cracking three times.

Giotto shook his head and I violently slammed my head back into the pillow.

"Is there anything you want to say to him?" Giotto asked gently.

"Tell him to go to hell."

The sound of me choking back sobs drowned out Giotto's exit.

* * *

><p>Back in his study, Giotto took out a blank piece of paper, a feather, and some ink to write a response to Ugetsu. He thought for a moment before writing:<p>

**UGETSU,**

**THANKS FOR THE LETTER. IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE THAT YOU WAITED UNTIL YOU SETTLED DOWN. THE DOJO SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA AND I BET YOU'R E HAVING A LOT OF FUN WITH IT. IS JAPANESE CULTURE THAT DIFFERENT FROM ITALIAN? IT'S AN INTERESTING COMPARISON, I BET. **

**MOST OF US ARE DOING OKAY, EXCEPT G'S BEEN HANING AN EMOTIONA L BREAKDOWN SINCE YOU LEFT. I THINK THAT WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY IN YOUR PAST LETTER WILL REALLY HELP HIM GET BACK ON HIS FEET, NO; NO ONE IS QUITE LIKE THAT GUY AT THE FOOTBALL GAME! ITALY LOST TO ARGENTINA 9-8. ACCORDING TO G, JAPAN LOST 20-5 BUT I THINK HE OVER-EXAGGERATED IT SINCE HE'S BEEN PRETTY MAD AT YOU FOR NOT CONTACTING US SOONER. EITHER WAY, OUR COUNTRIES DIDN'T DO WELL! AMERICA WON. PLEASE GIVE ME THAT NAME OF THAT NICE MAN WHO'S HELPING YOU OUT. I WANT TO SEND HIM A LETTER OF THANKS FOR TAKING CARE OF MY UGETSU. ALL OF US SAY HI AND WE MISS YOU (EVEN G THOUGH HE SAYS OTHERWISE).**

**GIOTTO**

**P.S. YES, YOUR NAME DOES LOOK COOL IN JAPANESE. **

Giotto read it over three times, making sure he signed it since he often forgot to do that. Satisfied, he got up to get an envelope and a stamp.

* * *

><p>A week later, in Japan, Ugetsu received the letter from Giotto. Guilt stabbed him every time G's name was mentioned and he couldn't help but wonder if Giotto was doing it on purpose.<p>

It took two days for Ugetsu to respond to Giotto since he couldn't stop thinking about G and what he wanted to say to him. He couldn't imagine how much his departure had hurt G since he'd never seen him break down before. And if he didn't want Ugetsu to go so badly, why hadn't he stopped him at the airport? Or even before then?

Finally, after a lot of thinking, Ugetsu figured out what he wanted to say.

* * *

><p>I don't remember leaving the shack. But twenty-five days after Ugetsu's letter had come, I found myself sitting with my knees to my chest outside by the mailbox on the single purpose of receiving Ugetsu's letter. I'd given up pretty easily last time, but this time I was going to read Ugetsu's letter and respond to it. Not Giotto.<p>

I waited at my post for the mailman and ignored my growling stomach. Eating seemed like such a trivial thing lately.

I let my mind slip into a faze that stirred my heart just a little bit. I thought about Ugetsu and how touched he would be when he realized that I'd been so desperate to hear from him. I imagined him coming straight home to Italy and cuddling with me. I thought about how I could throw his hat across the room as he whispered his love to me. Then I'd kiss him and…

I was so lost in my fantasy that I almost missed the mailman. He completely ignored me as he put two letters into the mailbox. The interruption of my fantasy slipped me into my depression again and a very small part of me that still acted like my old self chided me for thinking like a love-struck girl.

Taking out the two letters, I stuffed the one from Ugetsu in my pocket and stared at the other one. It was addressed to Giotto from Cozart.

My mind blanked as I tried to remember who Cozart was. A brief image floated into my head of a man with bright red hair that had had his wallet rescued by Giotto. I remembered his introduction as I headed back inside.

Once I reached Giotto's office, I soundlessly placed the letter on his desk and attempted to leave the room.

"G?" I stopped. "Did you eat today?"

I didn't reply. My stomach growled, giving Giotto the answer he wanted. Giotto sighed.

"Ugetsu didn't write today."

It wasn't phrased as a question, but it made me think that Giotto knew more than he was letting on. I tried not to reach down for the letter in my pocket.

"No."

"Must be busy." Giotto began opening Cozart's letter and I left for my room to open a letter of my own.

* * *

><p>Once inside the safety of my room, I carefully opened the envelope that had Ugetsu's cute, messy handwriting on it. The first part didn't make any sense to me since it was probably a reply to Giotto. However, the last sentence caught my breath in my throat.<p>

_Giotto,_

_Thanks for understanding! I sure am! The kids are really nice and polite and they are all eager to learn. It makes my job much easier! Yes, I think Italian culture is very different from Japanese. There's too much of a difference to explain in one letter, but let's just say that in the first month I went through quite a lot of culture shock! And jetlag. _

_America? I am actually quite surprised at that. The newbies are getting better huh? You don't need to do that! But if you really insist, Giotto (like you're probably doing right now), his name is Yamamoto Hiroki. Oh, in Italian format it would be Hiroki Yamamoto! Sorry!_

_-Ugetsu Asari_ _朝里 雨月 _

_P.S. I really don't think this will help G, but… Tell him that I love him and that I would've gladly taken him with me but I knew he'd be happier in Italy._

I felt fresh tears fall down my already tear-stained face as I read the P.S. over and over again. He loved me? It was what I'd always wanted to hear but never thought I would. I rolled over so I could stare at the picture of Ugetsu that had been returned to my desk. I smiled at it.

"Geez you idiot. You could have told me that before you left."

I got up to return the letter to Giotto.

* * *

><p>Giotto looked up as G entered the room with a letter in his hand. He smiled. He knew it was from Ugetsu and he'd had a feeling that G had taken it.<p>

G wiped at his eyes as he threw the letter on Giotto's desk.

"You tell that idiot that I love him too and that he better write to me personally!" G turned to leave before he seemed to remember something.

"Oh, and tell him that his hat can go to hell!"

Giotto chuckled as G left his office. He was glad G was back on his feet and that those two had finally told each other what they'd been meaning to since forever.

He started to compose his reply to Ugetsu.

**UGTESU,**

**IT IS JAPAN'S CULTURE TO BE PLOTLE, YES? I'M GLAD THEY LIVE UP TO THAT REPUTATION. HOW MANY STUDENTS DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR DOJO? I HOPE THEY AREN'T OVERWORKING YOU. YOU MUST BE TIRED, HUH? AREN'T THEY ABOUT EIGHT HOURS AHEAD OF US? I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S AMERICA WHO'S GETTING BETTER; I JUST THINK THAT THE REST OF THE TEAMS PLAYED REALLY BADLY THIS YEAR. WE'LL MAKE A COMEBACK NEXT YEAR! THANKS FOR THE NAME. I'LL BE SURE TO THANK THIS MR. YAMAMOTO.**

**GIOTTO**

**P.S. G SAYS (IN THE EXACT WORDS): "YOU TELL THAT IDIOT THAT I LOVE HIM TOO AND THAT HE BETTER WRITE TO ME PERSONALLY! OH, AND TELL HIM THAT HIS HAT CAN GO TO HELL!"**

Ugetsu laughed as he read G's words over and over again. He'd missed the cute way G had always yelled at him about his hat. And other things too, but mainly the hat.

"Asari-sensei!" A few kids ran up to Ugetsu as he pulled out two blank pieces of paper. He'd respond to Giotto but, right now, writing to G was more important. "Are you writing to your lover, sensei?"

"Yeah," Ugetsu smiled as he thought about G. He really missed him and thought that maybe he should visit soon…

"Look how love-struck he is," one of the kids whispered to Yamamoto Hiroki's son.

"Oh, I was in the middle of teaching wasn't I?" Ugetsu laughed.

The trio returned to the dojo where Ugetsu tried, unsuccessfully, to focus on his teaching. G occupied his thoughts too much.

**(A/N) And now I make it old fashioned with a feather and ink :P Anyway, that's it for the second chapter! Sorry about the time skip but I think G's three months of depression would have really slowed down the plot, even though I really wanted to write about it. I'm planning on putting a short omake at the end with a scene of G's depression for your enjoyment and mine. Oh and about Hiroki Yamamoto that's Yama's great-great-great (insert number here) grandfather. Since I think the Primo died young, I find it impossible that Ugetsu could have had any children. So, since Yama somehow inherited Ugetsu's dojo, I say that his (how many greats) grandfather was Ugetsu's friend who inherited the dojo after Ugetsu returned to Italy. That's just what I think anyway :P **


	3. New Beginning

It was a month later when Giotto proposed the idea.

Giotto had come to me first, obviously, because I held him back whenever he started doing something crazy. Which meant Ugetsu was the rein for both of us since he held _me _back whenever _I_ did something crazy…

Ahem, back on topic.

I walked back into the shack after retrieving the mail; two letters from Ugetsu and one from Cozart. Before I could react, Lampo snatched the letters from my hand.

"Hey!" I exclaimed as I started chasing Lampo around the room. Knuckle was oblivious to everything besides his bible as we wrestled on the floor.

"Hah!" I cried out in triumph as I succeeded in reclaiming my letter from Lampo. "You can keep those; they're for Giotto."

"It's not fair, G!" Lampo complained as we got up from the floor. "Why do you get a private letter from Ugetsu?"

"'Cause I'm special, squirt," I replied, messing up his hair. Lampo made a strange noise that sounded like a mix between a squeal and a laugh as I gave him a noogie.

"G." Giotto came out of nowhere are pulled me into his office.

"Lampo has your letters," I told him. "He'll probably read the one from Ugetsu."

"G, I've decided to start a mafia family." Giotto was apparently ignoring any statement that didn't have to do with his business.

"What?" If I'd been drinking something, I would have spewed it all over the floor.

"I said I want to start a mafia family," Giotto repeated. He stood up and started pacing the room.

"Our mafia family will be different than other families. Ours will be in the underworld, of course, however its main focus is to help the people of Sicily. I've been talking to Cozart about it and I think this is a good idea. We all have abilities that could be used to make Sicily a better place for civilians. We have what it takes to create the Vongola Family!"

Giotto stuck his hand out at me.

"Will you join me, G? Be my trust-worthy right-hand man?"

I stared at Giotto. I've never seen him so serious before. This must mean a lot to him. In that case, I had no choice but to join. And I had no problem with that. However, there was one thing…

"Clam?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What? I like clams. And it has a nice ring to it: the Vongola Family that protects innocent civilians like the shell of a clam."

"You sure get yourself into a lot of crazy things, Giotto," I smirked. "But, hell, this sounds kind of fun."

I took his hand.

"Why not?"

Giotto smiled. He looked a little relieved that I'd agreed to join him. He sat back down at his desk.

"I'll ask our family here if they want to join since they're all we need to start a family. But I won't force them."

"Even Lampo?" I asked.

"I won't let him get into any of the dangerous stuff but, if he wants to join, there's plenty he can do," Giotto responded without missing a beat. He seemed to have this all planned out.

"Well, alright. You're the boss."

That day, the Vongola Family was formed. A letter was sent to Ugetsu and everyone here agreed to join besides Knuckle, who was thinking about it. What started as a simple promise to protect civilians was soon to turn into the world's largest and strongest mafia family.

* * *

><p>"Giotto."<p>

Me, Lampo, and Giotto had been sitting in the living room watching TV when Knuckle came up to us. He had bags under his eyes, like he hadn't slept in a few days, and his hands and teeth were clenched as if he was fighting with himself.

"I'm sorry, but… I can't join this family of yours. I can't go against God's wishes to go into the underworld. I quit boxing for a reason; I'm not going to take it up again, even for you Giotto!"

Giotto nodded, like he'd been expecting the answer.

"I understand, Knuckle. Thanks for thinking about it."

Knuckle sagged against the wall. His eyes closed and I thought he'd fallen asleep before he abruptly left the room.

"You sound like you were expecting that," I commented once I was sure Knuckle couldn't hear.

"I had a feeling Knuckle would say no," Giotto sighed. He looked like he was forcing himself to watch the TV. "He was the only one that had a personal struggle with the mafia. I knew he'd say no because I know how hard it is to give up your beliefs."

The three of us fell silent as we continued to watch TV. My thoughts started straying to the bow and arrow Giotto had given me and how awesome it was. I thought that I should probably be practicing with it instead of sitting here watching TV since my aim, currently, sucked like crap. A sword showed up on the TV and my thoughts started moving towards Ugetsu.

A knock on the door interrupted any thoughts the three of us were having. All of us tensed. Lampo drew out his shield and I quickly headed into my room for my bow and arrow. When I came back, Giotto had his gloves on and was answering the door.

"You are Giotto, boss of the Vongola Family, correct?" The man asked once the door had been opened.

"Who's asking?" Giotto's eyes narrowed. I admired Giotto for how much he just seemed like a Mafioso. It was like he was born to be one.

"Antonio, boss of the Cielo Family, wants to challenge the Vongola. In exactly one month's time, Giotto is to bring all of his guardians to Capalle Lake to fight."

"What is the point of this battle? The Vongola refuse to partake if it's meaningless." If Giotto narrowed his eyes any farther, they'd fall off his face.

"Antonio wants to change the Vongola; he doesn't like how it's run. If you refuse, they'll come kill you themselves." The messenger seemed to shrink under Giotto's glare. I couldn't imagine this guy being a guardian unless the Cielo family was really weak.

"In other words, this battle is for dominance of the Vongola family," Giotto finished. As soon as the man nodded in agreement, Giotto slammed the door in his face. He sighed and walked over to slump into his chair. He pulled off his gloves and put them into his pocket.

"Are we participating?" Lampo asked, setting down his shield.

"I don't see how we have any choice," I commented. "It's fight or be killed."

"We'll have a meeting about it tomorrow." Giotto nodded and then seemed to steel himself up for something. He left the room and me and Lampo were left in the silence after his door slammed.

* * *

><p>Neither me nor Lampo were in the mood for watching TV so we shut it off and headed our separate ways.<p>

I lounged in my room, knowing I should be practicing my aim but not in the mood to do so. I knew that, no matter what we decided in the meeting tomorrow, I'd have to fight with my bow and arrow. I motivated myself to practice after the meeting tomorrow.

After spending who knows how long staring at the ceiling, I suddenly remembered the letter from Ugetsu that I'd forgotten about because of the formation of Vongola.

I pulled out the letter and comforted myself by reading the random sappy crap he was telling me. My heart rose as I read the P.S.

_P.S. Hey G, I've decided to come visit you guys and I was wondering what time would work for you? Since you're busy with the Vongola and all._

He was coming to visit! I'd see him again!

My heart started dancing as I found myself falling into a fantasy before the oncoming battle smashed its way into my happy thoughts. My heart fell almost immediately.

He wouldn't be able to visit this month since we'd be preparing for battle and after the battle, some of us might not even be here. Be alive.

I felt myself sinking into a level of depression that I hadn't been in since Ugetsu started writing to me.

Would I ever see Ugetsu again?

**(A/N) It seems like all the Primo ever do is watch TV xD. I'm so original in Italian names :P And I'm pretty sure Lake Capalle doesn't exist at all, I just didn't know any lakes near Sicily and I was too lazy to look it up xD Sorry for the late update guys! I've had no time to write and I apologize deeply! I'll try to find more time to write, I promise! **


	4. Preperation

"Well this is a rare sight," I thought as I sat in the meeting room. The meeting room had been created in case the seven of us needed to talk about something, but had never been used until now. It had been collecting dust in our basement for six years.

Alaude and Daemon had crawled out of whatever holes they slept in during the day and were actually participating in the meeting. The only ones missing were Ugetsu and Knuckle.

Giotto gave us a rundown of the message we had received the day before. A spark lit somewhere in the depths in Alaude's eyes and Daemon started chuckling to himself. Crazy bastards.

"Well this will be fun," Daemon commented, pulling out his trident. After inspecting it for a few minutes, Giotto's death glare made him put it away.

"I'm assuming you two are all for it!" Giotto almost snarled. Lampo flinched even though the comment wasn't directed towards him.

"Well like I said before, I don't think we have a choice," I said, interrupting a glaring contest between Alaude and Giotto. "If we have to fight either way, we might as well go for the option that isn't a surprise attack on us."

"I suppose you're right. We have to fight. But Lampo's staying home." Giotto sighed and rubbed his temples.

"What?" Lampo screeched. "You can't leave me out of it!"

"The message said Giotto has to bring all of his guardians," Alaude spoke up for the first time. "If we don't bring him, we won't be meeting the regulations of the battle."

"Fine," Giotto sighed before giving the final command. "In a month's time we have to get ready, prepare for battle."

He stood up, indicating the meeting was over. However he continued speaking before even Daemon could leave.

"Oh and don't kill anyone."

Daemon chuckled as Giotto left the room.

My aim was definitely getting better. I could hit almost directly on the bulls eye when I was moving but since I didn't have any moving targets, I wasn't sure about that.

I plucked my arrow from the target and inspected it. It was made of a strong wood; it didn't even split from hours and hours of being shot into a target. It was top quality and I wondered where Giotto had gotten it. Maybe from Cozart.

The battle was a week from today. Ugetsu sent me letter after letter of concerned "be careful"s and "good luck"s. Even though I complained to him and told him I'd be all right, I appreciated it. I was glad Ugetsu cared about me that much and I needed all the luck I could get.

I pulled out another arrow and aimed.

**(A/N) Short chapter is short! D: I'm sorry guys; I really planned on updating sooner but I didn't have the time. This chapter is lead up to the battle scene which is also, sadly, the last chapter. I thank all who stuck with me and I promise that the next chapter will be longer and hopefully updated sooner. :D I'll try my best guys!**


	5. Reunited

Even Daemon was a little nervous as we headed for Capalle Lake. I'd never been there before, but Alaude said it was very plain and a good place to destroy things. Coming from Alaude, that was a compliment.

I was armed with fifty of my best arrows (don't tell the Cielo family that they were my _only _arrows) and my bow never left my hand. Giotto had on his gloves, Lampo had his shield, and Daemon had on his eyeglass while keeping his trident pointed out in front of him. Alaude was the only one empty-handed but I knew he had his handcuffs somewhere in his pocket.

The Cielo family was already there when we arrived. They stood on the opposite side of the lake and taunted us. No one was affected by the taunts except for Lampo. He glared at them and I couldn't help snorting; the kid's glare was adorable.

I don't know what's wrong with Alaude's eyes; but the lake was beautiful. It shone a dazzling blue and it sparkled every time the sun peeked out behind the clouds. However, the land around it was barren so maybe that's where Alaude was looking. Alaude always seemed to ignore everything beautiful. No wonder he never talked to Ugetsu…

Stop it, G. Don't get distracted.

"You were supposed to bring all of your guardians," the one I assumed was Antonio shouted across the lake.

"These are all of my guardians," Giotto replied.

"Yeah? You're missing two! Or don't tell me the Vongola even go against that?" Giotto's eye twitched, but across the lake it would look like he was completely unaffected by the taunt.

"Well, whatever!" Antonio shrugged. "Let's fight!"

"About time," Daemon muttered.

"These guys are weak," Alaude snorted. I wondered how he judged that. "This will be easy."

He was wrong. Very wrong.

* * *

><p>Knuckle leaned against a table, both hands pushed down hard on the surface. His face was clenched with inner turmoil and his bible lay open in front of him. Tears lightly hit the surface of the book.<p>

"Please, Lord God. Forgive my sins."

Knuckle's shaky hands placed a yellow helmet on his head before they garbed themselves in worn out old boxing gloves. His eyes suddenly shone with a fierce determination as he stepped out the door of the shack.

* * *

><p>I gritted my teeth as a sword grazed my arm; piercing some of the skin. Lampo cowered behind me; putting up a good image for the enemy. While looking like a sniveling coward, he was trickling electricity into the ground; slowly shocking the enemy. It was a good strategy, plus the bonus of me protecting him, but I was having my butt handed to me.<p>

The swordsman in front of me wouldn't let me get far enough away to actually use my arrows, but I did get a shot here and there at those picking out the others. However, even though Ugetsu was the only one who'd ever beaten me in hand-to-hand combat, this guy was strong.

I took another step back, planning to go into a ground-spin kick, when my foot hit something. Falling backwards, I looked down to see I'd tripped over Lampo. He looked back at me, wide-eyed, before I looked back at my opponent.

The sword was coming fast and accurate towards my face.

"I'm going to die," I thought before a bright yellow light slammed into the sword. The man screamed as I fell to the ground, completely unharmed except for my earlier injuries. I scrambled to my feet and shot a few arrows at people attacking Giotto before turning back to my savior.

"Tell me." I saw short black hair and a yellow helmet that I had mistaken to be a bright light. "Whose smart idea was it to put you on extreme close combat?"

"Knuckle?" He turned and I saw the familiar white bandage. I smirked.

"What are you implying?" He laughed and we bumped forearms, our special way of saying good luck in your fights/training/etc.

"Looks like I owe you for keeping my head on," I said, stepping away from Lampo. "You better 'protect' Lampo. I can't do this close combat."

Knuckle nodded and I retreated to the far end of the battlefield where I could take perfect aim at anyone who tried to hurt my family.

* * *

><p>We thought it was over. Injured (but not dead) men lay scattered around the lake and Antonio had been defeated. We all had injuries, but none were life-threatening. Daemon was the only one who needed help standing (in which Knuckle happily offered to be his crutch for) and he seemed absolutely ashamed by it. Kept muttering like a psychopath.<p>

We should have expected someone would try to chop Giotto's head off.

Me and Lampo were trolling around when fear suddenly developed in his eyes.

"Giotto!" He screamed.

Everyone, including Giotto, spun around and scrambled for their weapons that we'd put away like idiots. Even Daemon tried to reach for his trident but Knuckle pulled it instinctively away from him. We were too late.

The attacker was too close for me to take an aim at, too far for Alaude or Knuckle to reach, and too fast for Lampo's electricity or Giotto's flame to react in time. Giotto stood and prepared to meet his fate.

_Clang._

Everyone stood stalk frozen in shock at the unlikely sound of resistance. A sword stood defiant across the attacker's axe and a white robe blew in my face. The sweet smell of cherry blossoms drifted from it. My eyes widened.

I knew this scent.

"Looks like I made it in time." All I saw was the tall pointy hat I jeered at and the long blue ponytail I loved as the sword hit the attacker in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. "Giotto."

We all stood gaping (except for Alaude who had disappeared somewhere. What the hell, man?) as we came face to face with Ugetsu.

He'd grown slightly taller in the five months he'd been gone (damn…) but, other than that, he was exactly how I remembered.

"We have a lot to catch up on," Ugetsu said softly, a small smile on his face. This time I knew I wasn't exaggerating when he looked specifically at me. Giotto nodded; following his gaze.

"Later. Let's go home first," Giotto said as he pushed Lampo, Knuckle, and the hobbling Daemon ahead of him, leaving me alone with Ugetsu.

We stood silently, facing each other. After finally reuniting with him, I suddenly didn't have anything to say. The silence grew until it became awkward. Finally, I just decided to break it.

"Still have that stupid hat I see."

Ugetsu broke into a grin. It was only when he started laughing that I realized how much I'd missed him.

I hugged him, and felt comfort from the giant white robes I was sinking into. Ugetsu chuckled softly as he laid his head on mine and wrapped his arms around my waist.

Whether it was from the exhaustion of the battle, the sweet scent of cherry blossoms surrounding me, or both, I somehow fell fast asleep in the comfort and safety of Ugetsu's arms.

**~THE END~**

**GxUgetsu/ UgetsuxG**

**(A/N) And finally the title comes into use. In the last chapter xD About Ugetsu's ponytail; I realize that he doesn't actually have one in the anime/manga but I saw this GxUgetsu fan art on DeviantArt with Ugetsu having a ponytail. I really liked the design so I added it into the fanficiton. If you want to be picky and piece everything together, he might have cut it off at some point. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me and I hope you liked it! :D**


	6. Omake

**(A/N) I almost forgot about this and I was the one who wanted to write it in the first place :P I wanted to write about G's depression but not in the story because that would've slowed it down. So, hence the omake! Anyway, hope you enjoy~ **

I stared at the pancakes in front of me that I should be eating but not in the mood to do so. Hadn't been in the mood to do so for four days. I had gotten away with it before, but this time Giotto wouldn't let it slip.

"You have to eat, G." I gave a tiny shake of my head.

"You have to eat to stay healthy."

"I don't feel like it," I murmured softly.

"G, Ugetsu would have wanted you to eat." If Giotto had thought he would win with that tactic, he was wrong. I started to shake slightly as I lowered my head to cover my face with my bangs and clenched my fists in my lap.

"G?" Lampo, who was sitting next to me, gave me a concerned look as he noticed the drops falling onto my hands. "G, are you crying?"

Knuckle got up from his chair and walked over to me. He laid a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, G, it's alright. God is watching over Ugetsu; I'm sure of it! And besides, the bible says that-"

"Shut up!" I snapped. I was sick and tired of their pity. "No one cares about the shit in your bible!"

"G." Giotto warned; frowning disapprovingly as Knuckle took his hand off my shoulder.

I hated the looks they were giving me; the pity they felt for an abandoned man. I stood up and left the room; my still untouched pancakes sitting on the table. I wiped at my eyes but the tears just flowed harder.

They didn't understand. They just didn't understand.

* * *

><p>Giotto waited until G left the room before speaking up.<p>

"I'm sorry, Knuckle. He didn't mean that; he's just not in his right state of mind-"

Knuckle held up his hand to stop him. Lampo listened to the conversation silently as he turned his head to stare at the door G had gone out of.

"You don't need to apologize for him, Giotto. I know he didn't mean that," Knuckle said as he started to walk out of the room. As if answering the unspoken question, he added, "I know G doesn't believe in what I do and teases me sometimes. But even so, G's never sworn in my presence before."

Giotto and Lampo were left to chew on that, while staring at G's uneaten pancakes, as Knuckle left the room.


End file.
